The Science Fair
by Zan1781
Summary: The Northrose Elementary School Science Fair, CSI style. Nick and Sara combine forces to find a child's missing volcano... and end up finding something else, in the process. Slight NS. Complete.
1. The Science Fair

**A/N: **This is an idea that I had floating around in my brain. I hope you all like it!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS.

**Title: **The Science Fair

**Summary: **The Northrose Elementary School Science Fair, CSI style.

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**DINNER: Present Time**

"Are you sure that you want to do this…?" Sara Sidle nervously cleared her throat, looking at her friend and colleague, Nick Stokes.

"Yes, Sara, I am," Nick replied with a slight smile, as he held her chair out for her, waiting for her to sit down. When Sara was comfortably seated, Nick gently pushed her in, before sitting down himself. "A deal's a deal, right…?" he asked. "You won, fair and square…"

Sara slowly nodded, staring at her water glass. Thinking about what else the 'deal' actually entailed, a small smile graced her lips.

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**THE INVITE: Seventy-Two Hours Prior**

"Hey, Warrick," Nick greeted his friend, walking up to him in the layout room.

"What's going on, Nick?" he replied with a hint of a smile, looking up at him.

"Question for you, man."

"Sure, what is it?" Warrick asked, setting down his magnifying glass.

"My buddy is a science teacher at Northrose Elementary School, and they are having a science fair," Nick told him.

"I did a couple of those in elementary school," Warrick grinned. "I made a bottle rocket, and man, could that thing fly!"

"Did you win?" Nick asked with a small smile, sitting down across from him.

"No," Warrick frowned. "Some kid's volcano beat my rocket. Can you believe that?" he squinted, shaking his head.

"Not really…" Nick grinned. "Everyone makes a volcano. But hey, I was wondering what you were doing on Friday night…?"

"Nothing, actually," Warrick told him. "Tina is out of town visiting family. Why do you ask?" he questioned Nick.

"Would you be interested in judging the science fair with me…?" Nick asked with a smile.

Warrick grinned. "Do I get to wear a badge that says 'judge?'"

Nick laughed. "I believe so."

"Well, then count me in!"

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**THE PHONE CALL: Twenty-Nine Hours Prior**

"Sara?" Warrick croaked into the phone. "I need your help, please…" he told her, coughing once more, and then blowing his nose.

Sara frowned, trying to wipe the sleep out of her eyes. _That sounds disgusting_! "What can I do for you, Warrick?" she asked.

"I need you to help Nick judge the science fair. I was supposed to do it—" he sneezed again, "But I'm sick. Please," he continued. "He needs some help…" Warrick finished, once again loudly blowing his nose.

_Gross! _"I don't know, Warrick," Sara hesitantly replied. "What about Greg?" she asked. "Greg loves science fairs…" _And children. _"I think he'd be great at it…"

"Greg is going out of town this weekend with his friend…"

"Catherine?"

"Lindsey is in a school play, and Catherine is taking her out for dinner afterwards, in order to celebrate… And before you ask," Warrick sneezed, "Grissom is at that conference in San Francisco. Please, Sara, you're the only one who can do this," he mumbled, stifling another cough. "You'll be fine… it'll be okay…" he added, frowning, as another coughing fit wracked his body.

"What happened to you…? You don't… sound good at all…" Sara quietly commented, once again frowning.

"Tina says that I have the flu and a cold," he told her, trying to cough and sneeze all at the same time.

"Oh," Sara sighed. "Alright…but you owe me."

"Fine," Warrick replied, rubbing his sore throat.

"Big time."

"You need to meet Nick at Northrose Elementary School in two hours, Sara. And thank you…"

"Wait a minute. This is a science fair for little kids…?" Sara asked. "Not middle or high school aged children?"

"First through sixth grade…" Warrick confirmed. "Please, Sara," he sneezed, "I can't go!"

"Oh all right," Sara sighed. "Just feel better, okay…?"

"Thank you," Warrick again coughed, before hanging up.

"Great…" Sara mumbled. "A science fair… I just hope I don't have to judge fifty different volcanoes. I still can't believe that that broken volcano beat out my study of gravity."

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**THE FAIR: Twenty-Seven Hours Prior**

"Hey, Mister!" a little boy of around eight years old said to Nick, running up to him. "Are you a judge…?" he asked, peering up at Nick's face.

Nick grinned. "Yes, I am. Do you have a project here today?"

"Uh-huh!" the little boy replied with a smile. "My name is James, and I made a volcano! Wanna see it?" he asked, pulling on Nick's sleeve.

"As soon as my partner gets here, we're going to look around," Nick told him with a smile. "We'll come check out your volcano soon, okay?"

"'Kay, Mister Judge!" James laughed, running off down the hall to find one of his teachers.

Nick smiled, as he walked over to the school's front door. Peering outside, he sighed. _Where the heck is Warrick?_ _He promised that he'd be here! Wait a minute, is that… Sara…?_ he asked himself, slowly opening one of the school's front doors, and walking outside to meet her.

"Don't ask," Sara tried to muster up a smile, heading towards him. "But Warrick is sick, and you're stuck with—"

All of a sudden, a loud scream filled the air.

"What…?" Nick asked, darting back inside, Sara right on his heels.

"It's gone!" James screamed. "Someone stole my volcano!"

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TO BE CONTINUED 


	2. Gone, Without a Trace!

**A/N: Thanks goes out to everyone who has taken the time to read this fic! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS.

**Title: **_Gone, Without a Trace!_

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**THE FAIR: Twenty-Seven Hours Prior**

"What's going on here…?" Nick asked the principal, Joe Simmons, rushing back into the building, and down the hallway to the cafeteria, where the science fair was being held.

"Someone stole James McDuffy's volcano," he replied. "We don't know who, we don't know why, and we don't know where it is," he added.

"So no one saw anything?" Sara asked, walking up beside Nick, and glancing over at the principal.

"Unfortunately, no," Simmons told her. "We were all walking around exploring the projects, and… we just didn't see anything out of the ordinary," he sighed.

Nick frowned, looking over at James.

"It's not fair," James whispered, sitting down at his now empty booth. "Me and my daddy worked _so_ hard on that volcano… we spent lots of time on it, and it made cool lava," he sniffled, trying not to cry. "And when my daddy gets here, he's going to be so mad! Why would someone take it?" he asked the small crowd of people gathered around his booth. Starting to cry, James buried his head in his hands. "I don't understand!"

Nick glanced at Sara, before carefully walking around the table, and kneeling down next to James. "Hey, buddy, remember me?" he asked.

James slowly nodded his head yes, trying to wipe away his tears. "You're one of the judges," he told Nick.

Nick nodded, smiling. "My name is Nick, and this is my friend, Sara. We're going to try to help you find your volcano, okay…?"

James looked down at the ground, once again trying to wipe away his tears. Not hearing Nick's words, he sighed. "Me and my daddy built that volcano together, and it's the _bestest_ volcano in the whole-wide world! And now it's gone…" he sadly added, shaking his head. "My volcano is gone!"

"Look at me, James," Nick firmly said. James lifted his eyes to meet Nick's gaze. "Do you know what a detective is?" he asked. James nodded yes. "Well, Sara and I are kind of like detectives. We help solve crimes," he told the little boy. "We're going to try to find your volcano, okay…?"

"Uh-huh," James mumbled, once again looking down at the ground. "Try _really _hard, though, okay, Mr. Nick?"

"We will, buddy," Nick replied, gently patting his shoulder. Slowly standing up, he bit his lip, glancing over at Sara.

Sara sighed, walking a short distance away from James and his booth. "Nick… this is an elementary school science fair," she pointed out. "We can't go around fingerprinting little children and their parents," she added, frowning.

"No, we can't," Nick agreed. "But we can do some looking around, can't we? I'm sure that it's still in the school, Sara," he told her. "If we mobilize enough of the adults, we should be able to quickly scan any unlocked classrooms, closets, bathrooms, offices, and garbage cans. I have a feeling that we'll find the volcano around here. I'm not sure that anyone would risk walking it out of the building, although…" he paused, sighing. "Although… doing so really wouldn't be all that out of place, considering the amount of projects that have been coming into the school all day," he added.

"Mr. Nick…?" James quietly asked, standing up from his seat, and cautiously waking around the table towards Nick.

"Yes, James?" Nick asked, once again kneeling down on the ground so that he could be at eye-level with the little boy.

"How can I help you find it…?"

Nick bit his lip, thinking for a moment. "You know what you could do to help us?

"What?" James whispered, looking over at him.

"Can you tell us what your volcano looks like…?"

"Uh-huh!" James gave Nick a small smile. "It's the bestest volcano in the world!" he repeated. "Does that help?"

Nick hid his grin, nodding yes. "That definitely helps, buddy, but can you tell Sara and I what it looks like…?"

"Oh, 'kay…" James frowned, trying to think. "It's made of brown and red clay, and it has these long…trails along the sides, so that the lava can flow down it…"

"James," Sara quietly spoke up, standing just behind Nick. "Is it on a base of some sort?"

"Yup, it's on a base," James confirmed. "It's super-glued to a wood board, and the board is in a square container… the container is… I dunno," he shrugged, scrunching up his face, and trying to remember what it looked like. "I dunno," he repeated after a moment. "Is that…good enough…?" he then asked Nick and Sara, once again sniffling.

Nick smiled down at James. "That's a start, buddy. But does your volcano have anything else on it, which might make it look different from the other volcanoes?"

"Uh-huh," James again nodded. "It has little tiny trees glued to the side of it, and _lots_ of trees around the base. Oh!" he added, jumping up and down, excited that he remembered something important. "And the lava is orange _and _red," he informed Nick and Sara. "Does that help…?"

Nick raised an eyebrow, glancing up at Sara. _No… not really…that still describes every other science fair volcano ever made_. "It might be helpful," Nick told him with a small smile. "We'll soon find out, okay…?" he asked, standing up, and heading away from James's table.

Right on his heels, Sara sighed. "What are you thinking, Nick?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Nick bit his lip. "I still think it has to be in the building… possibly in one of the classrooms, closets, bathrooms, offices, or even in the dumpster. We know that it was made of clay, and that it has trees glued to it. Let's see if we can find a trace of his volcano," he shrugged. "Oh… and we'll have to check all of the other volcanoes entered into the fair, just in case... I'd hate to think that another child stole his volcano and is claiming it as his or her own, but…" he again shrugged. "According to the project list, there are only three other volcanoes…"

Sara raised an eyebrow, smirking. "_Only _three? Alright. Let's go talk to Mr. Simmons, and get some of the adults looking for this volcano. The sooner that we begin, the sooner that we can hand it back to James," she added.

Nick nodded, as they spotted the principal on the other side of the cafeteria. Walking over to him, Nick frowned. "Okay, Mr. Simmons. Your school has what, four main corridors? Let's get a team of three adults to explore each hallway, and your staff can check all of the unlocked offices. And someone should check the dumpster just outside the door," he added. "The volcano still has to be in the building…or at least just outside of it. We need the adults to look for signs of anything out of the ordinary, including toy trees scattered around, or even dried clay on the ground. And while that is being done, Sara and I are going to start judging the science fair… beginning with the other volcanoes."

"I just can't believe that anyone would do this," Simmons frowned. "This has never happened before…"

"Well, let's just get James back his volcano, so that he can still compete in the science fair, Mr. Simmons," Sara spoke up.

"Yes… of course…" the principal mumbled, moving off to mobilize some of the adults for the "search party." "

"And in the mean time," Nick told Sara, "Let's get started on our own volcano judging."

Sara just flashed Nick a half smile-half frown, following him back towards the science fair projects.

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TO BE CONTINUED 


	3. Nick and Sara vs the Volcanoes

**A/N: Thanks goes out to everyone who has taken the time to read this fic! I'm really sorry that it took so long to get this chapter up… The Science Fair has been pretty difficult to write, for whatever reason. In any event, I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS.

**Title: **_Nick and Sara vs. the Volcanoes_

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**THE FAIR: Twenty-Six Hours Prior**

"This is… ridiculous," Nick sighed, as he and Sara walked down one of Northrose Elementary School's corridors. "I still can't believe that someone would steal from a little kid…" he mumbled, as they carried their clipboards to the first volcano.

Smiling over at the young boy, Sara took a look at the volcano.

"Hi!" seven year old Tommy Tucker grinned at the two judges. "This is my volcano!" he explained, pointing to the gray-colored, cone-shaped volcano.

_James's volcano is red and brown, right? _Nick asked himself, kneeling down to better peer at Tommy's project.

"How did you make this?" Sara asked Tommy, glancing at the pre-written questions on her official clipboard.

"Well," Tommy hesitated, puckering up his lips. "My mommy made it for me, actually!" he said with a huge smile. And then opening his eyes wide, his mouth formed a giant 'O' shape. "Oops!" he exclaimed, covering his mouth with his hands. "I wasn't s'posed to say that!" he frowned, as his lower lip started to quiver. "Mommy's gonna be mad at me!" he moaned, sitting back down behind his booth.

Sara raised an eyebrow, glancing at Nick. "Well… uh… so… did you help your mommy make the volcano…?"

"I watched…" Tommy admitted, before his expression fell again. "Oops… I don't think I was s'posed to say that, either…" he sniffled.

Sara wrinkled her nose, biting her lip. "Well…" she trailed off. "Good luck with the science fair, and… we'll see you at the award's ceremony!" she simply told the little boy, making some notes on her clipboard, and walking away. When she and Nick were safely out of earshot of the child, she frowned. "See? This is why I hate science fairs!" she told him. "No one ever makes his or her own project! It's all about whose parent or guardian can make the best project!"

Nick chuckled, smiling at her. "I bet you did your own project, Sara," he grinned, as they continued on to the next volcano.

"Well… of course I did, but…" she trailed off, as they turned the corner. "I still felt like the science fair was really for the adults…"

Nick just laughed, as they neared the second volcano entered into the fair. Glancing at the boy's nametag, he grinned. "Hi, you must be Tyler Jones!" he greeting the child, peering across the table at the volcano.

"Wow! How'd you know that?" Tyler asked, his eyes going wide.

Sara laughed. "Magic!"

Nick just raised an eyebrow, trying not to chuckled. "Actually… your nametag has your name written right on it," he informed Tyler, pointing to the sticker on his shirt.

"Oh, right!" Tyler replied, a smile breaking out on his face. "So do you want to hear about my project?" the third grader asked the two judges.

Both Nick and Sara nodded, each smiling at the youngster.

"Well," he began his speech, "This cone shape represents an active volcano, which can form on the land or in the sea…" he explained. "And when you add in the right ingredient, it goes 'KABOOM!'" he added, as if nothing else needed to be said.

"So… what ingredient do you have to add, in order to make the volcano explode?" Sara asked the little boy, trying her hardest to smile and look as excited as Nick did. Glancing over at her colleague, she hid a frown. _He… really seems to be enjoying this! I guess… it could be worse… I could be stuck here alone, although stuck really isn't a great word… and…I AM getting to spend some quality time with Nick, outside of the lab…_

"Well…" Tyler hesitantly replied, glancing down at one of his index cards. "You use… uh… hmm…vinegar and soda…" he told Sara, biting his lip.

Sara just raised an eyebrow. "Baking soda…?" she asked him.

"Oh, yeah! Baking soda…" he confirmed, looking over at his volcano. "Wanna see it erupt?" he then eagerly asked.

"Sure, go for it!" Nick smiled, glancing down at the gray volcano. _This one does not belong to James, either... his was red… _"Dump in the vinegar, and let's see what this thing can do!" he grinned, taking a giant step backward.

Tyler added the vinegar, and loudly clapped for himself when his volcano successfully erupted with red and orange lava. "YEA!" he exclaimed, pumping his tiny fists in the air.

Sara just smiled, and Nick patted him on the shoulder. "Nice job, buddy," he kindly told him. "We have to move on now, but we'll see you at the awards show!"

"'Kay, bye!" Tyler replied, turning back to his volcano, and adding some new baking soda to his project.

"You're…pretty good with the kids," Sara commented, as she and Nick walked away.

"Thanks, Ms. Sidle," Nick chuckled, as they approached the third and final volcano that was entered into the fair.

"Hi!" Genevieve Walters smiled, immediately straightening her back the moment that she saw the two judges approaching her.

"Hello," Sara grinned at her. "How are you doing today…?"

"I'm doing okay," the fifth grader replied, glancing at her volcano. "The baking soda is already in there, and the vinegar is ready to go…would you like to see it erupt?" she asked.

"Sure," Nick told her, once again backing up.

Pouring the vinegar into the opening, Genevieve smiled at Nick and Sara. "This volcano is a replica of Mt. Vesuvius," she explained to them. "I've always been fascinated by that particular volcano, and I thought that studying it would make a great science fair project. Take a look behind me," she then instructed Nick and Sara. "I have pictures of Mt. Vesuvius, and… I explored what Italy would actually look like, if Mt. Vesuvius had never erupted…" she added, pointing to a computer model set up just next to her volcano stand.

"Fascinating…" Sara mumbled, studying the pictures. "And where did you find all of this information?"

"I went to the library for the pictures," Genevieve admitted. "I used the internet and a couple of encyclopedias for the basic information, and then went to UNLV to ask a computer major for help with the pictures of what Italy would look like now…"

"Nice work, Genevieve," Nick earnestly told her. "We might have some more questions for you later, but at the very least, we'll see you at the awards ceremony!" he informed her, pulling on Sara's sleeve to get her to move on. Heading away from the table, he gave her a slightly confused look.

"Well that was certainly interesting…" Sara mused. "She infused history, science, and technology into her project…I really liked that one…"

"It was definitely pretty good," Nick confirmed. "Although… that was _not _James's volcano."

"No, but this is!" Joe Simmons proudly interrupted Nick, briskly walking toward the two CSIs.

"Where… where did you find it…?" Nick asked, frowning.

"It was in the dumpster," Simmons replied. "Not broken, but… covered with a banana peel."

"Well, let's get it back to James," Nick suggested. "And then… we'll figure out who took it."

"I bet you right now," Sara frowned, "That it was the parent of one of the children who took the volcano…"

"No…" Nick shook his head. "There's no way that a parent would have done this…"

"So you think that another student did it…?" she asked. "I… don't know about that, either!"

Nick just grinned, shrugging. "We'll figure it out after we get this science fair started… right, Judge Sidle?" he jokingly asked her, playfully nudging her.

Sara just nodded, as they walked back to James in order to deliver the good news.

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TO BE CONTINUED 


	4. And the Winner Is

**A/N: Thanks goes out to everyone who has taken the time to read this fic! I hope you enjoyed it!**

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS.

**Title: **_And the Winner Is…_

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**THE FAIR: Twenty-Six Hours Prior**

"You found it! You found it! You found it!" James grinned, jumping up and down. "Thank you so much, Mr. Nick and Miss Sara!" he smiled, throwing his tiny arms around both of their legs. "And now you can judge it, and I can get first place!" he added, standing back and expectantly looking over at them.

Nick chuckled, as he glanced down at his clipboard. "Okay, James… tell us about your volcano?"

"Well," James bit his lip. "It's red, and it erupts, and I put baking soda inside… and then when I add vinegar, it goes off!" he explained. "The two thingies have a chemical reaction, which causes the lava to flow…"

Sara smiled down at James. "Can we see it erupt?" she kindly asked him.

"Uh-huh!" James enthusiastically replied, as he poured some vinegar into a glass.

Before he had a chance to dump it into his volcano, however, Nick frowned. "Buddy… I think that that might be too much vinegar…" he started to say.

"Nuh-uh, it's okay!" James assured him, immediately dropping the cup-full of vinegar into the center of the volcano.

"Stand back, Sara!" Nick tried to warn her, before flinging himself backward.

But it was too late. The volcano worked... in fact, it worked a little too well, depositing food coloring, baking soda, and vinegar, all over Sara's good clothes.

"Thanks, Nick…" she mumbled, holding her arms up, and staring down at her freshly-stained clothing. "Thanks for the warning…"

"I tried to tell you!" Nick grinned, covering his mouth with one hand, and trying to hide his laughter.

"Uh… oops! Sorry!" James told Sara, completely horrified. "I'm sorry, Miss Sara!"

"It's, uh… it's okay, James…" Sara frowned, as she walked away in order to clean herself off.

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**THE FAIR: Twenty-Five Hours Prior**

"Are you… okay…?" Nick asked Sara with a raised eyebrow, once she emerged from the bathroom.

"I will be, once you wipe that smirk off of your face!" Sara laughed, staring down at herself. "Although… my clothes have seen better days…" she mused. "In any case, let's talk about the projects…" she added, as she led Nick to the teacher's lounge, where they were going to deliberate on the science fair projects.

Nick nodded, taking a seat at the table, and staring down at his clipboard. "Well…" he started to say, nibbling on the end of his pencil. "I liked the sterling silver one…" he admitted to Sara.

"The project about whether or not stainless steal can remain stainless?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "Really…?"

"It was unique," Nick shrugged. "And I liked how the two students used the scientific method in their experiment… how they had the control group, and then added a variable to the equation…they actually used science in their experiment," he explained. "They dipped the spoons into regular substances, and then into liquids that are known to stain… and then they allowed the spoons to soak in the substances for a varying amount of time. The project was well-thought out, well-organized, and well-executed…"

"Hmm… interesting…those are actually very good points…" Sara quietly replied, staring across the table at Nick. "Good use of the scientific method, too…But, do you know what other project wasn't all that bad…?" she then asked him, hiding a smile.

"Hmm…?" Nick asked.

"The project involving gravity…" she grinned.

"Wasn't that… your project idea from when you were young?"

"When I was young?" Sara smirked. "I still _am _young, Nicholas Stokes!" she grinned.

"Okay, Sar, when you were in elementary school…" he revised his question, smiling across the table at her.

Sara just laughed. "It was a good project then, and it is still a good project now."

Nick again chuckled, scanning his notes,. "Touché… okay. How about the solar powered car, then?" he asked, looking over at her. "Christopher certainly knew what he was talking about, and the car was just… interesting! It was an all-around great presentation, and I liked how he created different designs, in order to see which solar power panel placement allows the car to capture the most amount of solar power…"

"I agree… that was a good project. You know what else I liked, though?" she then questioned him. "I can't believe that I'm saying this, but… I loved Genevieve's volcano… she managed to incorporate history, science, _and _technology into her project…and she was able to articulate her thoughts extremely well…."

"Good point…" Nick sighed, leaning back in his chair, causing the chair to stand up on its two back legs.

"You…probably shouldn't be doing that…" Sara frowned at him.

"What…?" he asked, puzzled.

"Don't lean back in your chair like that… you're going to fall and hurt yourself…."

"I bet you a dinner at a fancy restaurant that I won't fall out of this chair, between now and the time that the awards ceremony begins…"

Sara just laughed. "I see your bet, and I raise you a trip to the dolphin habitat, as well," she grinned.

"Deal!" Nick smiled.

Deal!" Sara repeated, reaching over to shake his hand, laughing, when Nick actually shook her hand back.

"Alright, Sara…" he then mumbled, leaning further back in his chair, so that the chair was once again resting on its two back legs.

"Right. We need to make a decision. First, second, and third place. What are your thoughts, Nick?" she asked with a sigh.

Nick closed his eyes, contemplating everything. And then he nearly screamed, as his chair tumbled backwards, tossing him onto the ground.

"See?" Sara laughed, after making sure that he was okay. "Gravity… it never fails…"

Nick just chuckled, hiding his grin. _I meant to do that… and now we're going to go out to dinner, and to see the dolphins_. So _who's the REAL winner of this bet?_

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**THE FAIR: Twenty-Four Hours Prior**

Before the awards ceremony was scheduled to begin, Joe Simmons ran up to Nick and Sara. "We got the culprit!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide. "We caught the thief!"

"But… how? And who?" Sara asked the principal, her eyes widening.

"You'll never guess…" Simmons replied, trying not to smile. After all, someone had just tried to destroy another project… then again, that someone had also been captured.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense!" Nick crossed his arms, glancing over at the excited principal.

"Does the name… Tucker…ring a bell?" Simmons asked the two judges.

Nick frowned, staring down at the ground, before his head snapped up. "Yes!" he replied.

"Tommy Tucker!" Sara jumped in. "Tommy Tucker stole James's volcano…?" she asked, her smile slowly fading away.

"Not exactly," Simmons told her. "But his mother did…"

"But… how do you know that…?" Nick quietly asked, shaking his head in surprise.

"We just caught her trying to wreck Genevieve Walters's project…"

"You're joking, right…?" Sara asked, wrinkling her forehead.

"I'm afraid not…" he sadly replied.

"But… why?" Sara mumbled.

"Don't you remember, Sar?" Nick frowned, looking over at her. Sara just shook her head no. "Tommy said that his mother made his project for him…" he trailed off.

"And… she wanted to win…." Sara finished his thought. "Wow… that's… sad…"

"It sure is," Simmons replied. "And it also means that Tommy's volcano has officially been disqualified from the competition."

Sara just sighed, looking over at Nick. "Well… should we get the awards ceremony started?" she asked, trying to flash him a small smile.

"Let's do it…" Nick told her, grinning.

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**THE FAIR: Twenty-Three and a Half Hours Prior**

"We wanted to thank everyone who took the time to enter a project in this year's Northrose Elementary School science fair," Nick told the crowd with a smile. "My partner, Miss Sidle, and I, were very impressed with all of your hard work and dedication to the field of science. As forensic scientists ourselves, we know how important math, science, and technology can really be, in every day life…"

"And we are so excited that so many of you have taken an interest in our favorite field," Sara jumped in with a grin. "As my colleague mentioned, we were extremely impressed with all of your projects… that beings said," she added, "We had to narrow everything down to just three winners…so although you are all winners in our book, the following three projects will be getting ribbons."

Nick took the microphone from Sara, grinning. "Okay. Third place goes to a very deserving student, who successfully used the scientific method in order to determine whether or not stainless steal can actually remain stainless. Leslie Dinger, your project was not only creative and unique, but scientifically sound, as well. Congratulations!" he smiled, waving her forward. Handing her a white ribbon, he shook her hand.

"Nice job, Leslie," Sara added with a smile, also shaking her hand, as everyone cheered for the young girl. Waiting for the fourth grader to walk back to her seat, Sara grinned. "Our second place winner is a student who also managed to devise an actual study, using the scientific method in order to create the best possible solar-powered car. This particular student ran an experiment with solar powered cars, trying to come up with the design that would capture the most amount of sunlight, thus enabling the vehicle to travel for the longest possible period of time. Second place goes to Christopher McKenzie, and his study of solar powered cars…" Sara smiled, waving the sixth grader forward. "Congratulations, Christopher," she grinned, handing him his red ribbon.

"Excellent job, Christopher," Nick added with his own smile, shaking his hand, and waiting for the young boy to return to his seat. "Okay… as Miss Sidle and I mentioned, it was very difficult for us to pick this year's very best science fair project. We loved all of your ideas, and… we struggled with this decision."

"It's my project, I know it is!" James whispered to himself, bouncing up and down in his seat. He was thrilled, and he was extremely excited to know that his was about to be called.

Sara just smiled, as she glanced down at her sheet of paper. "This particular project, however, managed to combine history, science, and technology, infusing all three subjects into a very seamless project about Mt. Vesuvius. Genevieve Walters?" she asked, searching the assembled crowd for the girl. "Please come on up, and accept your first place ribbon!"

Genevieve grinned, running up to the stage. "Thank you!" she smiled at both judges, first shaking Sara's hand, and then Nick's hand.

"You're welcome, Genevieve, and congratulations!" Nick told her, sending her back to her seat. "Again, we want to congratulate all of you on a job well done…" he told this year's science fair participants. "You all did a beautiful job, and we enjoyed learning about your projects."

"Yes, thank you, everyone!" Sara smiled. Although Sara felt badly that Warrick was home sick with a cold, she was truly grateful that she had been given the opportunity to judge the science fair… even if being around children made her slightly nervous.

"So… I… didn't win…?" James whispered to the child sitting next to him, jumping out of his seat, and running up to Nick and Sara. "How come I didn't win…?" he quietly asked them, his lower lip starting to quiver.

Nick knelt down beside James, kindly looking at him. "You did really well, buddy, but… there were _lots _of good projects this year. But you know what…? Keep entering every year, and you never know what will happen!"

"Yeah!" James brightened. "Maybe in ten years, I can work with you guys!" he giggled, running off.

Nick just chuckled. "Perhaps more like twenty years…" he smiled, looking over at Sara.

"Hey, you never know!" she grinned.

---------------

**DINNER: Present Time**

"First of all, I can't believe that we chose a volcano to win. _Everyone _makes a volcano!" Nick laughed. "And second of all…I still can't believe that I actually fell out of my chair…" he grinned, taking a sip of his water.

"It was a good project," Sara shrugged. "There's no denying that… and like I said," she added with a smile, "Gravity never fails…"

"I know, but…" Nick trailed off.

Sara just chuckled, taking a sip from her own water glass. "So… are really going to go see the dolphin exhibit later?" she asked.

"A deal's a deal…" Nick reminded her.

"Well… I know that, but… we don't really have to go and see them, if you don't want to…" _It's expensive to see the dolphins... and on top of dinner…?_

"You know what, Sara Sidle?" Nick smiled, gazing over at her.

"What…?" Sara hesitantly asked.

"I actually fell on purpose, so that we could have a night out on the town together. I… wanted to spend some time alone with you…"

"…Really?" she asked, flashing him a small smile.

"Really… I've wanted to go out to dinner with you for awhile now…"

"Are you sure that you just didn't fall out of your chair, and you're too embarrassed to admit it?" Sara grinned, raising her eyebrow.

Nick just laughed. "No, Sara… you're an interesting person, and I just wanted to get to know you a little bit better… outside of the lab…"

Sara smiled. "Well… so… let's get to know each other a little bit better, then…" she trailed off with a smile, gazing across the table at him.

Nick just nodded, grinning back at her. _I'm sorry that you got sick, Warrick, but… thank you!_

---------------

_Finis _


End file.
